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A Woman’s Life in Shoes

Today I took mom shopping for diabetic support shoes. At the Leather Banana (don’t ask me why they named it that), which was the only place in a ten mile radius that offered both shoes and insole supports. Apparently butt-ugly orthopedics is the tradeoff for good circulation. There was one pair of pink-and-fuzzy slippers on the shelf, which I tried to get as a consolation prize. “We don’t carry those anymore,” she told me. But of course.

So, we went with the beige Velcro slip-ons. She walks steadily in them, which is a good thing. But oh, you’ve come a long way, baby!

Look at this. It’s the photograph Mom selected for the “Guess the Geezer” contest this week at her adult daycare. This was a young girl who was going places – white cowboy boots and all. As I was cleaning out her stuff from my father’s house last year, I came across these high-heeled golden lame sandals that Sarah snatched up before I could get a close look. These were in a corner, next to the sensible church lady heels and the garden clompers and the fuzzy house slippers and the running-through-the-grocery store athletic shoes. Like the good Catholic girl I am, I saw these as tangible proof of the many sides of my mother.

Now that she is squarely in her declining years, it seems a shame that it all comes down to utilitarian concerns like balance and circulation. But maybe this, too, is something to consider, something to remember, something even to venerate. Because these are the shoes for the last mile, the hardest mile, before that little cowgirl goes home for good.

What do your shoes say about you? Put your favorite pair in the comments!

One thought on “A Woman’s Life in Shoes”

Today over at “Life on the Road Less Traveled” … what do your shoes say about you? (If you or someone you love is a caregiver for someone with dementia, why not subscribe to “Life on the Road Less Traveled”. I’d love to see you there!